Rollover Jeep with trailer on Coquihalla Friday Night - headed for Tunkwa

[sapper]

On Friday night on our way up to our spot a Jeep (YJ style) pulling a trailer lost it and rolled into the centre of the highway just past the toll booth area. We stopped to see if we could offer assistance, which we did. I was not looking forward to what I might encounter when we got to the vehicle but they all (3) climbed out on their own or with some assistance.
I can't believe the freaks that get licences though. A number of people sped through the accident scene (with 6-8 vehicles, including two semi's, pulled over) at 80km/hr or more. Two decided to slow down just while going by all of us on the side of the road and got into a skid and hit into the side of each other. Another guy almost took out our truck as we were getting ready to head off. He too hit the brakes a little too hard and too late and started sliding towards us. I began running for the ditch while my buddy is yelling at the guy to let off the brakes and drive out of the skid. He just pulled out of it in time.
Anyhow, the 3 people in the initial accident were apparently on their way to Tunkwa. I'm just curious if anyone happens to know them or how they fared after the ambulance arrived?

[caddisguy]

Wow! Stuff happens fast on the highway. I had some clown on highway 1 EB with a horse trailer near Chilliwack come to a complete stop on the highway to help a single car merge who did not need it. No escape route, semi barreling in behind me. Leaving a 4 second buffer doesn't cut it sometimes. Miliseconds from dying on that one. I was shaking for days and was scared to drive.

Last weekend I saw another car try changing lanes with a car right beside him, not even in the blindspot. He didn't even look. No matter how safe you drive there are idiots everywhere. My brother drives long haul and while doing the speed limit, behind another car doing the limit, people pass between him and the car in front at 130, then realize the car in front is not going any faster. Buddy will always over-react and hammer down the brake, down from 130 to 80 right in front of his semi. Happens a few times each trip. Driving the Jeep, I am often in a pack of cars doing the limit, you have the odd guy pass you, panic and slam brakes, pass the next guy, panic and slam brakes, then repeat for the next 10 cars and still not figure it out. Pass the pack of cars going the same speed if you want to speed.

I hope the folks in the Jeep were ok. It's so easy to lose it in the Wranglers on the Coq, especially on that steep hill coming back in that corners left into a tunnel. I have to take that corner at around 90km/h. I'll start working the brakes about half way down the hill so the guy behind me who wants to do 140 in the right lane figures it out well in advance. Hills and corners in Jeep, the wheels are always spinning in your head playing the physics game.

Most dangerous aspect of our hobby is most certainly our trips on the highway. Gotta be care out there, never let your guard down and always keep an escape route.

[r106]

We saw that accident. Glad everyone was alright. It was slick there. We slipped a bit slowing down BEFORE coming up on it

[OOBuck]

Glad everyone is OK, Here's the first problem someone towing a trailer with a Jeep! Those things couldn't & shouldn't be towing anything!!!!! EVER!!! They should fine the driver!!!!

[RINO]

Glad everyone is OK, Here's the first problem someone towing a trailer with a Jeep! Those things couldn't & shouldn't be towing anything!!!!! EVER!!! They should fine the driver!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rug4jaPczls&sns=em

[Sofa King]

Glad everyone is OK, Here's the first problem someone towing a trailer with a Jeep! Those things couldn't & shouldn't be towing anything!!!!! EVER!!! They should fine the driver!!!!

great point.
jeeps are light as shit.
he needs to tow a trailer though because there's no room in those girlie 4bys.

[sapper]

I'm not defending the driver or making any judgements. I may have my own suspicions or opinions but I was just curious about their well-being. Their trailer was a small utility trailer and did not appear to be huge but, yes, there's not a lot of room in them. I do believe the trailer was the cause of the accident though.

[Moe.JKU]

Glad everyone is OK, Here's the first problem someone towing a trailer with a Jeep! Those things couldn't & shouldn't be towing anything!!!!! EVER!!! They should fine the driver!!!!

Disagree my 4 door tows things fine, you just got to keep it to the proper weight. 17ft boat is no problem if you smart towing.

Glad everyone was ok however. That highway is a nightmare at times, and like you said with some freaks on the road that stuff happens far to often.

[Sofa King]

coming across a fresh accident is nerve-wracking.
I remember going over a rise on the highway near haines junction and seeing nothing but carnage ahead.
it looked like a bomb went off.
it was a vehicle towing a travel trailer and they rolled, probably jack-knifed etc.
there was nothing left of the trailer, just pieces absolutely everywhere.
it looked a million times worse than it was, nobody was hurt.

and last year, a girl in a little red sports car passed me just ouside of murrrt heading up the coq toward Kamloops.
she was keeping up wiith a truck that had just passed me before she did.
so I increased my speed, letting them bird-dog for me.
we travelled together, moving ahead of most the slower-moving traffic.
I was holding back a little ways from her, but not too far.
as we got up to the top, just past the helmer exit, we were catching up to quite a bit of traffic, some semi's and motorhomes that were in the slow lane.
one by one we moved into the passing lane and overtook them.
then out of the blue, i'm watching her ahead of me as we pass some rigs, I notice her car starts to wander toward the dip in the middle.
and i'm wondering out loud what she's doing.
the car wanders over a bit more and it touches into the dirt on the shoulder.
then she reacted and tried to correct it, but it over-corrected, or was just too far gone and she couldn't get control.
it swerved now the opposite direction, then swung right around and proceeded to roll, along the shoulder, half in the dip, half on the road.
she rolled three times then it swung around and flipped straight over long ways twice and came to rest on it's wheels, upright.
it was crazy, right there right in front of me, all happening in slow-motion.
traffic had all come to a stop already in both directions.
and by the time I had reached in the back and grabbed my big wrecking bar and was out heading toward the wreck, several others were already there and getting her out.
she was fine but pretty shaken up.

[caddisguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rug4jaPczls&sns=em

Awesome video. That is often the imagery that rolls through my head on the highway while I have some idiot tail gating my jeep and getting all flustered--badass enough to tailgate but too stubborn to pass--because I won't do 120 down a steep hill into a sharp curve. I then fantasize about seeing them on the trail trying to weave around potholes at 10km/hour as I jump through craterville and drive over their POS pavement princess :D

Nothing wrong with towing something with a Jeep. Main thing with Wranglers, lifted Samurai/Sidekick/Trackers/etc is understanding physics. Lots of people go out and buy a Jeep and think they can drive it like a regular car or full sized pickup. They lose on the first tight corner/curve, then complain about Jeeps being "incapable" and "dangerous". Didn't they learn from Mario Kart that not all cars are designed for the same purpose?

[pete_k]

great point.
jeeps are light as shit.
he needs to tow a trailer though because there's no room in those girlie 4bys.

I think he was referring to wheel base more so than weight.

[caddisguy]

Towing or not, Jeep's are safe. It is the driver of the Jeep or the other drivers on the road who are dangerous. I'd say 90% of the people on the road can't figure out why jeeps drives any different from a Corvette. Aggressive drivers get enraged and think you are messing with them. You'll have some asshat 2 feet off your bumper and when he gets good and pissed enough thinking you're brake-checking him, they'll cut you off and slam the brakes. Had lady do this in her Kia with two kids and a baby on board. Pretty sure these are the same types who think a 100tonn semi can stop as efficiently as their 1500lb car. Intelligence and common sense are pretty rare these days. I think that movie "Idiocracy" accurately depicted where we're heading.

[caddisguy]

great point.
jeeps are light as shit.
he needs to tow a trailer though because there's no room in those girlie 4bys.

You can safely tow 2000lbs in a Wrangler. And I see an awful lot of those girlie 4bys retrieving super duties from mud puddles ;-P

One rescue from a Jeep just a few days ago: http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?101141-Thank-you

[hare_assassin]

Towing or not, Jeep's are safe. It is the driver of the Jeep or the other drivers on the road who are dangerous. I'd say 90% of the people on the road can't figure out why jeeps drives any different from a Corvette. Aggressive drivers get enraged and think you are messing with them. You'll have some asshat 2 feet off your bumper and when he gets good and pissed enough thinking you're brake-checking him, they'll cut you off and slam the brakes. Had lady do this in her Kia with two kids and a baby on board. Pretty sure these are the same types who think a 100tonn semi can stop as efficiently as their 1500lb car. Intelligence and common sense are pretty rare these days. I think that movie "Idiocracy" accurately depicted where we're heading.

I agree 100%, and I'm not even a Jeep driver. ;)

The vast majority of drivers in this province are total f*ckwads when behind the wheel. Here I was thinking AB was bad.

[Mr. Dean]

Trailers + snow/ice + mountain passes = a shitty driving experience at the best of times.

[Sofa King]

You can safely tow 2000lbs in a Wrangler. And I see an awful lot of those girlie 4bys retrieving super duties from mud puddles ;-P

One rescue from a Jeep just a few days ago: http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?101141-Thank-you

actually no.
an "experienced driver" can safely tow 2000 lbs in a wrangler.
not just anyone is even capable of towing something behind a vehicle.

and I wasn't knocking the jeeps capabilities.
they are beasts offroad.
still doesn't change the fact that they are girlie 4bys.

[Big Lew]

As a professional driver, I've driven all manner of vehicles, but most of the general public haven't had that experience or even the basic understanding of physics and that's why you see accidents like the one with the jeep and trailer. With a little common sense, experience, and understanding of physics, pulling a small trailer even on slippery roads is not that risky or dangerous. One of the worst vehicle-trailer accidents I've seen was south of Salt Lake City during a snow shower. A LWB pickup pulling a long RV trailer attempted to pass 4 semi-trailer units going downhill. There were severe crosswinds and they contributed to the winds from the rigs which knocked the trailer out of control. There was nothing by debris left from the truck and trailer for hundreds of yards and both the elderly man and woman were killed.

[caddisguy]

actually no.
an "experienced driver" can safely tow 2000 lbs in a wrangler.
not just anyone is even capable of towing something behind a vehicle.

I'm glad we agree. Assuming one is towing under 2000lbs, it's an issue of whether or not the driver should be towing. Not whether or not the Jeep should be towing, which seemed to be the theme of the initial towing comment. Towing or not, you'll crash a Jeep within an couple hours of highway if you drive it like a Corolla.


and I wasn't knocking the jeeps capabilities.
they are beasts offroad.
still doesn't change the fact that they are girlie 4bys.

I prefer my girlies smooth and sexy--not beasts--but whatever keeps ya warm in the tent ;-P Lol.

I know what you mean though. You're right about the wimpy "safe towing" ability. Cargo space leaves a lot to be desired too. For hunting applications, it's decent for most cargo, if you remove the back seats. The box is about the same as your standard ranger. I added one of these http://www.quadratec.com/products/12033_311_07.htm and http://www.gemini-sales.com/JEEP_KARGOMASTER_RACKS-The_Congo_Cage_Jeep_TJ_Wrangler_97_06.html. Between the box, rear racks and roof racks, I could get a moose home (very carefully with attention to physics) but you won't see me hauling furniture for friends moving which isn't necessarily a bad thing! j/k ;)

[wsm]

we drove by that scene as well , glad to here everyone was ok

[Mathil]

Coq drivers are the worst. Heavy fog, packed snow; people fly by me going 120 with their high beams on...

I'd rather not die, thanks!

[Jagermeister]

My wife went down a 50' embankment in her Jeep Cherokee while pulling a trailer, doing about 60kph. I saw it happen and thought she was a goner. She survived with a class 4 shoulder seperation on one and a torn rotator cup on the other and some big bruises. Lucky to be alive. This was not some slick road, it was totally dry surface
Jeep and trailer total. The trailer was a tandem axle 12' van Uhaul.
Two conclusions were derived from this for us; 1. Never tow a trailer larger than a single axle utility trailer with a Jeep, and 2. never ever rent from Uhaul again.
We suspect that the reach broke and the brakes were not functional.
The trailer was loaded with lightweight metal stands, garden tools, BBQ and a few ladders. Bulky items with lots of air space so the trailer was definitely not maxed on weight.

[Big Lew]

Without witnessing, or being part of the investigation I can't make a determination on what was the significant contributor to her accident. (I was involved with commercial accident investigation) A Jeep Cherokee with decent properly inflated tires and in good mechanical shape should have little trouble towing a 12' tandem axle Uhaul van safely unless the van load was grossly overweight, wasn't evenly balanced, or there was a mechanical or structural failure.
Occasionally, utility and van trailers are loaded with far too much weight either on the tongue or to the back which dangerously effects steering or traction control, especially at highway speeds.

[srupp]

everyone fares better AFTER the ambulance arrives.....been a busy week...start of the winter..

steven just over 30 days till retirement...